Whether from pumping it out of earth as water the first time, or pumping it back into the earth, filled with chemicals the second time, or when they suck it back out to get to the released oils and gases, the third time, or when they pump it back into the earth again, because they don't want to pay to clean it up the fourth time they handle it.

That's four chances to make a sinkhole, even many miles away from the wellhead.

Clean water for drinking for sanitation for farming. THIS is the type of aid we should be sending around the world - not sending billions of dollars to governments that may or may not use the money to help their people.

In his climate speech on Tuesday, President Obama took some big steps forward against climate change, but at the same time pushed a dangerous and counterproductive endorsement of expanding natural gas development and fracking. Obama's plan gives implicit support for exporting natural gas, stating that his administration will "encourage the development of a global market for gas."1

If the Obama administration green-lights fracked gas exports, it will encourage more fracking in the United States, endangering our precious water, putting the health of countless Americans at risk and accelerating climate change.

As the Secretary at the Department of Energy, Ernest Moniz is responsible for deciding whether to grant permits allowing the fracking industry to export huge quantities of natural gas overseas.

Shortly after being sworn in, he promised to take more time to study the issue before granting any more permits to export gas. That's a positive development that shows we have momentum in this fight.2 Now we need to build on that momentum by urging him to reject natural gas exports altogether.

The Energy Department approved its first natural gas export permit in two years just before Moniz was sworn in.3 4 But Moniz's promise to hold off on approving permits until he's undertaken further study is a genuinely encouraging step, and it proves that Moniz has a lot of leverage in the administration to push back against natural gas exports. He should.

Far from being a climate solution, expanded fracking would be a disaster for the climate. Fracking releases huge amounts of methane, an extremely potent greenhouse gas. Fracking is a highly toxic process that contaminates water and releases poisonous air pollution, putting nearby communities at risk. Furthermore, as recent climate disasters like Superstorm Sandy demonstrate, it's dangerous to consider any policy that would dramatically expand fossil fuel extraction in the United States.

Moniz has expressed support for fracked gas in the past, but, now that he's a highly visible public official, he's likely more susceptible to pressure from activists. We need to make it clear that Americans across the country are watching him closely, and expect him to put our health and safety ahead of the financial interests of the fracking industry.